Our 10 latest relevant articles.
Letter from the Editors
Amid China's economic slowdown and rising unemployment, coupled with the transition from traditional industries to new digital models, flexible employment through platforms like food delivery has surged.
27 February 2025
photo credit: Gorodenkoff/ Shutter Stock
29 January 2025
China Labour Bulletin recently published our healthcare workers' report: Unprotected yet Unyielding: The Decade-Long Protest of China’s Healthcare Workers (2013-2023). This is the Chapter 3 of the report. This chapter explains the difference between formal and informal workers, which caused the informal workers to strike and demand equal pay for equal work. It also talks about the problem of low salaries for medical students and graduate students.
14 October 2024
China Labour Bulletion recently published our healthcare workers' report: Unprotected yet Unyielding: The Decade-Long Protest of China’s Healthcare Workers (2013-2023). This is the Chapter 2 of the report. This chapter explains that the rise of private capital, coupled with the blind expansion of second-tier public hospitals; coupled with the sharp drop in income in non-first-tier cities during the epidemic, created a financial crisis for hospitals. As a result, medical staff continued to be owed wages and social security.
04 October 2024
The government’s plan to raise the retirement age was met with backlash from workers, especially blue-collar migrant workers. It is difficult for migrant workers to find jobs that pay for social security for 15 years--the prerequisite for getting a pension when retired. Workers are worried that the retirement age reform would make things even harder. There is a disparity in social security coverage and benefits between urban workers and migrant workers. Many migrant workers still have to work after the retirement age, with little or no social security. Precarious and informal employment across sectors is a significant reason and will likely continue with the growing gig economy.
12 July 2024
Industry by industry, how are China’s workers faring in this difficult economic environment?
31 January 2024
Mandatory leave: Dongguan electronics factory workers strike over leave policy before facing layoffs
Workers at TRP Connector, a Bel Fuse factory, were encouraged to “voluntarily resign,” and remaining workers now face layoffs
20 October 2023
Workers at the Wing Ming factory in Guangdong province went on strike in May and protested through July as factory gets “consolidated”
08 September 2023